Casting installation that is intended, in particular for the production of electrodes and the method used in one such installation

ABSTRACT

A moulding plant, notably intended for the production of electrodes, includes a hopper, at least a first mould and a second mould, two compression devices, each device including a working table and a pressing form. The plant is characterized in that there is fixed intermediate laying plane, interspaced between the compression devices, and vertical to the hopper, and there is a displacement device to position each either at a working tabled, or at the intermediate laying plane.

RELATED U.S. APPLICATIONS

Not applicable.

STATEMENT REGARDING FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH OR DEVELOPMENT

Not applicable.

REFERENCE TO MICROFICHE APPENDIX

Not applicable.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

This invention concerns a moulding plant, notably intended for theproduction of electrodes, as well as a method implemented in such aplant.

However, although more especially intended for such applications, saidmoulding plant can also be used for the production of any other type ofmoulded product.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

In moulding plants, it is advantageous in some cases, when the pastewhich is cast into the mould shows a certain viscosity and/orgranulometry, to perform compression operations in order to obtain thecorrect characteristics of the worked product and to proceed to or toperfect the implementation of said product. Currently, there aredifferent types of plants known enabling, after filling the mould, toperform these compression operations.

To this end, a first type of plant known is composed of a paste feeder,a mobile hopper, two compression devices each comprising a table,whereon seats a mould, and a pressing form. The plant operates by movingtho mobile hopper, substantially horizontally, from a position where itis fed with paste and two paste unloading positions, positions whereinsaid hopper hangs over either of the moulds.

In this plant, it can be foreseen to work the product in a mould whilethe hopper is fed with paste or pours the paste into the second mould.

This type of plant exhibits various shortcomings, and notably this plantforces the displacement of an active member, i.e. the hopper, whichprovides notably the transfer link plant for flexible energies.Moreover, this type of plant calls for the creation of two drawing andejection stations, i.e. a station per mould, which increases the cost ofthe plant.

A second type of plant known is composed of a paste feeder, two fixedweighing hoppers and two mobile compression devices comprising two mouldsupport mobile vibrating tables.

This plant exhibits the same shortcoming as the previous one, i.e. itcalls for the displacement of active members, in this instance thetables, which complicates the realization taking into account themagnitude of the mass displaced and of the active members displaced.Indeed, each table is moved between two positions corresponding to afilling position of the mould, said table being then vertical to itshopper, and a working position corresponding to a position of the tablevertical to the pressing form. Such a plant also exhibits theshortcoming of using two hoppers, which increases the price of the plantaccordingly.

Finally, a third type of plant known provides a plant composed of apaste feeder, a fixed hopper, three moulds, and of a compression device,as well as a carrousel enabling the displacement of the mouldssuccessively under the hopper, then at the compression device, thenagain at a drawing zone.

This plant requires however the production and the installation of thecarrousel, it also requires the use of three moulds.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The purpose of the invention is to provide a moulding plant, notablyintended for the production of electrodes, which remedies theshortcomings aforementioned and enables to provide a plant wherein noactive member is moved.

Another purpose of this invention is to provide a moulding plant,notably intended for the production of electrodes, which enables the useof a single drawing and ejection station of the product.

Another purpose of this invention is to provide a moulding plant,notably intended for the production of electrodes, which enables easyaccess to each of the active members to facilitate the handlingoperations.

Another purpose of this invention is to provide a method implemented inthe plant aforementioned which enables to obtain high throughput rate,and a preparation and/or drawing working in masked time.

Other purposes and advantages of this invention will appear during thefollowing description which is given only for illustrative reasons andwhich does not intend to limit said invention.

According to the invention, the moulding plant, notably intended for theproduction of electrodes, comprises a hopper, at least a first mould anda second mould, two compression devices each comprising a working tableand a pressing form, characterized in that said moulding plant comprisesmoreover:

-   -   a fixed intermediate laying plane, interspaced between said        compression devices, and vertical to said hopper, and    -   displacement means to position each mould either at a working        table, or at said laying plane.

The invention also concerns a method implemented in the plant asaforementioned, a method wherein the following steps are carried out foreach mould:

-   -   a mould filling step,    -   a mould loading step on said corresponding working table,    -   a working step, and    -   a mould drawing step from said corresponding working table        enabling to replace said mould vertical to said hopper.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWINGS

It will be understood better when reading the following description,accompanied by the appended drawings which are part thereof and wherein:

FIG. 1 illustrates, along a schematic sectional view, an embodiment ofthe plant according to the invention.

FIGS. 2 to 11 show the embodiment of FIG. 1 in different nonfigurationsenabling to build the product, to draw it from the mould and to ejectit.

FIG. 12 is a chronogram representing an embodiment of the various stepsaccording to the method.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

This invention relates to a moulding plant, notably intended for theproduction of electrodes.

As represented on FIGS. 1 to 11, the moulding plant, according to theinvention, comprises a hopper 2, at least a first and a second moulds 4and 3, two compression devices 6 and 5 each comprising a working table 8and 7 and a pressing form 10 and 9.

According to the main characteristic of the invention, the mouldingplant comprises, moreover:

-   -   a fixed laying plane 11, interspaced between said compression        devices 6, 5, and vertical to said hopper 2, and    -   displacement means 12 to position each mould 4, 3 either at a        working table 8, 7, or at said laying plane 11.

Besides, according to the invention, said displacement means 12 positionalternately each mould 3 and 4 at said laying plane.

Moreover, according to the invention, said displacement means 12 can beadvantageously located at said working tables 7 and 8 and at the layingplane 11.

In the embodiment of FIGS. 1 to 11, said displacement means 12 arecomposed of rails 13 working together with rollers, not represented onthe appended drawings. Said rails 13 are arranged at the tables 7, 8 andat the laying plane 11 substantially parallel to the displacementdirection of said moulds 3 and 4. The moulds are driven preferably by achain and a hydraulic motor.

However, according to other embodiments, said displacement means 12 canbe composed of any device known to the man of the art in the field ofconveying and notably the field of conveying products in assembly lines,for example it may be electrically operated rolls and capable ofrevolving round their axes in both directions in relation to therequested displacement direction of each mould.

Said moulding plant comprises besides drawing and ejection means, notrepresented on the appended drawings, which enable to draw and eject theproduct from the mould 3 or 4 at said laying plane 11.

To this end, said evacuation means can be placed advantageously at theportion of said intermediate laying plane 11 vertical to said hopper 2or, in a variation, at said intermediate laying plane 11 but in anoffset fashion with respect to said hopper 2 in the ejection directionof the product.

According to the invention, said hopper 2 which enables to fill themoulds 3 and 4 with paste, is preferably fixed and composed of aweighing hopper.

Said hopper 2 is fed itself using a paste feeder 14, via a distributor15, according to known techniques.

According to the invention, said working tables 7 and 8 are preferablyfixed and composed of vibrating tables. This type of table enables toimprove the compression and the shaping of the paste while suppressingthe free spaces existing in the paste contained in the mould and whichmay notably be due to bad distribution of the paste when filling saidmould, or still to the granulometry and/or viscosity of the paste.

According to the invention, by intermediate laying plane 11 is meant anytype of device capable of supporting a mould, it may be notably a devicefor supporting the rails 13 or for example a table or similar.

The invention also concerns a method implemented in the moulding plantas aforementioned. Said process, notably intended for the production ofelectrodes, is a method wherein, as illustrated on FIG. 12, thefollowing steps are performed for each mould:

-   -   a filling step RM1, RM2 of the mould 4, 3,    -   a loading step CV1, CV2 of the mould 4, 3 on said corresponding        working table 8, 7,    -   a working step FM1, FM2, and    -   an unloading step DV1, DV2 of the mould 4, 3 from said        corresponding working table 8, 7 which enables to place said        mould 4, 3 vertical to said hopper 2.

Besides, according to the invention, it is provided a drawing andejection step DM1, DM2 at the intermediate laying plane 11 afterrespectively the unloading steps DV1, DV2 of the mould 4, 3.

With reference to FIGS. 2 to 11, one can see, for each mould, thedifferent formation steps of the product.

FIG. 1 illustrates the feeding phase of said hopper 2 which is beingfilled with paste. At that stage, during the initialization phase, bothmoulds 3 and 4 are empty, one of the moulds being on its working table7, and the other at said laying plane 11 vertical to said hopper 2.However, during the cycle, the mould situated on the working table isbeing formed as the mould situated at the laying plane 11 is placedvertical to said hopper 2 after ejection of the moulded product.

On the following Figures, one sees an embodiment in differentconfigurations taken not at the beginning but during the cycle, whereasboth moulds are not empty.

On FIG. 2 and while taking as a reference the mould 4, as the firstmould, and the mould 3, as the second mould, one can see the unloadingof the paste contained in said hopper 2 in said first mould.

FIG. 3 represents the loading phase, notably by translation, from thefirst mould 4 onto said corresponding working table 8. In this figure,one also sees that the second mould 3 is unloaded, notably bytranslation, simultaneous or not, of said working table 7 and will beplaced at said laying plane 11.

In the embodiment of FIGS. 1 to 11, the loading step CV1 of the firstmould 4 onto said corresponding working table 8 is performedsimultaneously to the unloading step CV2 of the second mould 3 andreciprocally. The definition to be given to the word <<simultaneously >>in such case is that the loading and unloading steps can be performedeither simultaneously or with an offset with respect to one another witha time-related overlapping portion of both these steps.

Consequently, according to another embodiment of the invention, theloading and unloading steps of the first and second moulds can bedissociated over the course of time.

With reference to FIG. 4, one sees the loading step CV1 of the firstmould 4 onto said working table 8.

With reference to FIG. 5, one sees that the product contained in thesecond mould is drawn at said laying plane 11. Besides, one sees thatlifting means 16 are provided at the working table 8. These liftingmeans 16 raise said table 8 and said first mould 4 and thus enable tofree said first mould from the displacement means 12, they are composedpreferably of inflatable members enabling moreover to absorb thevibrations created at said working table 8. These lifting means 16 alsoequip said working table 7. Consequently, it is possible to use othertypes of lifting device known to the man of the art, whereas the liftingand shock-absorbing functions can obviously be dissociated over thecourse of time.

One sees thus on FIG. 5 that said lifting means 16 have raised saidfirst mould 4 and that the shaping of the product begins. To this end,the compression device 6 is put into service causing on the one hand theactuation of the vibrating table 8 and on the other hand the actuationof the pressing form 10.

At that level, said hopper 2 is in feeding phase. This feeding phase maystart as soon as the previous unloading phase of said hopper 2 is ended,which enables to conciliate the possibility of feeding the hopper from afeeder operating continuously, and to mould the products according to adiscontinuous process.

This FIG. 6 represents the end of the ejection phase DM2 of the productwhile placing the second mould vertically to the hopper 2. One also seesthat the working step continues at the first mould.

FIG. 7 represents a feeding phase (AT) of the hopper 2.

FIG. 8 represents the filling step RM2 of the second mould 3, one cannotice that during this step, the lifting means 16 position said firstmould 4 at the displacement means 12 in order to enable to move anothertime.

FIGS. 9 and 10 represent the loading step CV2, notably by translation,of the second mould 3 onto said working table 7, and simultaneously theunloading step DV1, notably by translation, of the first mould 4 fromsaid working table 8.

FIG. 11 represents the drawing and ejection steps DM1 of the product outof the first mould 4, at said laying plane 11. According to theembodiment of FIGS. 5, 6 and 11, the lateral walls of the moulds aredetached from the bottom wall thanks to said drawing means thus enablingto free the product.

Said ejection means then enable to move said product along theintermediate laying plane 1. The lateral walls of the mould are thenreplaced at the bottom wall of said mould so that said mould can againbe filled with paste and starts a new moulding cycle. During thisdrawing and ejection step, realized after said unloading step of themould, the working step FM2 continues for the second mould or possiblythe positioning step of said second mould at the displacement means 12.

FIG. 12 illustrates an example, without limitation thereto, ofsuccessive moulding cycles of the first and second moulds as well as ofthe feeding and unloading cycle of said hopper 2. On the channel A, onecan then follow the different moulding steps an the first mould 4, onthe channel B, the different moulding steps for the second mould 3, andon the channel C, the different feeding and unloading steps of thehopper 2.

One sees thus that the drawing step DM1 of the first mould 4 is, forexample, realized, at least partially, during the working step for thesecond mould 3, and reciprocally. One also sees that the filling step ofthe first mould 4 is realized at least partially, during the workingstep for the second mould 3 and reciprocally.

It should also be noted that the feeding step of the hopper (AT),provided between two unloading steps of the hopper (DT) is such that thesupply from the hopper can be continuous or discontinuous and filleither partially, or totally, the time space between said successiveunloading steps of the hopper 2.

The working step at the first and second moulds can be realized,preferably, with a delay equal to or greater than the total delay of theother steps.

The invention concerns moreover the product realized from the process asaforementioned. Said product being notably a constitutive element of anelectrode and more particularly a carbon anode, but can also be anyother moulded product realized from the process as aforementioned.

Naturally, other embodiments, obvious to the man of the art, could havebeen contemplated without departing from the framework of the inventiondefined by the claims hereunder.

1. A moulding plant, notably intended for the production of electrodes, comprising a hopper, at least a first and a second moulds, two compression devices each comprising a working tabled and a pressing form, wherein said moulding plant further comprises a fixed intermediate laying plane, interspaced between said compression devices, and vertical to said hopper, and displacement means to position each mould either at a working table, or at said intermediate laying plane.
 2. A moulding plant, according to claim 1, wherein said displacement means position alternately each mould at said intermediate laying plane.
 3. A moulding plant, according to claim 1, wherein said working tables are fixed and comprised of vibrating tables.
 4. A moulding plant, according to claim 1, further comprising evacuation means drawing and ejecting the moulded product contained in the mould at said intermediate laying plane.
 5. A moulding plant, according to claim 1, wherein said hopper is a fixed weighing hopper.
 6. A moulding plant according to claim 1, wherein lifting means are provided at the working tables enabling to free said moulds from said displacement means.
 7. A moulding process, notably for the production of electrodes, implemented in the plant, according to claim 1, wherein said process comprises for each mould: a filling step of the mould, a loading step of the mould onto said corresponding working table, a working step, and an unloading step of the mould from said corresponding working table enabling to replace said mould vertical to said hopper.
 8. A process, according to claim 7, further comprising a drawing step and an ejection step at said intermediate laying plane, after said unloading step from said mould.
 9. A process, according to, claim 8 wherein the drawing step of the first mould is realized, at least partially, during the working step for the second mould and reciprocally.
 10. A process, according to, claim 7 wherein the filling step of the first mould is realized, at least partially, during the working step for the second mould and reciprocally.
 11. A process, according to claim 7, wherein the loading step of the first mould onto said corresponding working table is realized simultaneously to the unloading step of the second mould and reciprocally.
 12. A moulded product, realized from the process implemented according to claim
 7. 